cetroyer writes: iTunes Match is now available with iTunes 10.5.1. Here is the small print: "iTunes Match requires iOS 5.0.1 on iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2, or a Mac or PC with iTunes 10.5.1. Limit 25,000 songs. iTunes purchases do not count against limit. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices." For $24.99 a year, is it time to legitimize your music collection? Or do you just want your music "in the iCloud"? Download here to try it out.Link to Original Source

1sockchuck writes: The twice-a-year list of the Top 500 supercomputers documents the most powerful systems on the planet. Many of these supercomputers are striking not just for their processing power, but for their design and appearance as well. Here’s a visual guide to the top finishers in the latest Top 500 list, which was released this week at the SC11 conference.Link to Original Source

Not quite. But for once, the article isn't any more accurate than the Slashdot summary.
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), which comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is a test of the encryption module of a device or software. In this case, it is RIM's proprietary OS that runs on the PlayBook that has had its crypto module validated (PlayBook FIPS certificate).
Yes, it is probably the first tablet to achieve this, since most computers leverage Window's validated crypto module (Go here, FIPS certificates, and search for Microsoft). However, meeting FIPS is only part of the process. Federal regulation also requires National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) certification and a test by an approved DoD test lab. After all of that, the device or software will probably be "certified for use in the U.S. government".

So, Jobs asked that the iPod be designed so that those who are hard of hearing can enjoy the convenience and ease of an iPod as well as the rest of the "well-hearing" world?

That design choice doesn't do anything to remove the responsibility of the user to monitor the volume level. If someone wants to blow their eardrums out, that is their choice. But by adding the higher volume level capability, the iPod is now a viable product for those who are already hard of hearing.

Let's apply your argument to another piece of audio equipment. Take the common receiver. I just looked at one that had 770W total power, 110W per channel. Paired with the right set of speakers, it would be more than capable of damaging hearing. Yet, no one is trying to force them to make "safe" audio equipment.